Automatically-controlled generator



Jan. 13, 1925. 1,522,612

W. J. BURCHETT AUTOMATICALLY, CONTROLLED GENERATOR Filed Jan. 14, 1921 2Sheets-Sheet 1 E331 1W5 alum MW N W. J. BURCHETT AUTOMATICALLYCONTROLLED GENERATOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 14, 1921 M I. 3 l l ii0 l H Wait?! J arc/zed Patented Jan. 13, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER BUECHETT, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE AS-SIGNMENTS, TO SIMPLEX UTILITIES CORPORATION, A CORPO RATION 0F DELA-WARE.

AUTOMATICALLY-CONTROLLED GENERATOR.

Application filed January 14, 1921. Segial No. 437,165.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

'Be it known that I, lVALrnR J. BURoHE'r'r, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing in East Orange, in the county of Essex and State of NewJersey,. have invented certain new and useful Improvements inAutomatically-Controlled Generators, of which the following is a full,clear, and concise description.

My invention relates to automatically-con.- trolled generators; that is,to electric generators of the type used with prime movers andcontrolling apparatus associated therewith for driving the generatorintermittently, the general action of the entire system, of which thegenerator is a part, being thus 'automatic.

More particularly stated, my invention relates to the construction ofthe generator, my purpose being to accomplish a number of objects, amongwhich are the following:

I.. To so construct and arrange, in a single casing, the generator andthe prime mover for actuating the same, that the prime mover and thearmature shaft, and also if desired the armature, may as a single unitbe removed from the casing and replaced therein.

II. To so proportion and arrange the generator and the prime mover, anda fiy wheel common thereto, that the fly wheel is located between theprime mover and the generator, and substantially in the center of thecasing.

III. To so combine the fly wheel and the ventilating fan into a singlerevoluble memher, and so locate said member, as to improve thecirculation of air through the niaehine and thus prevent undue heatingof parts otherwise liable to become heated excessively.

IV. To so locate the governor and the distributor within the casing asto render them readily accessible for purposes of inspection and repair.

Reference 1s made to the accompanyingdrawings forming a part of thisspecificatioh, and in which like reference characters indicate likeparts throughout the several figures.

Fig. -1 is a substantially central vertical section through my device.

Fig. 2 is an end view of the device, a

portion of the-casing being broken away.

' Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, looking in thedirection indicated by the arrows.

'extends through a ball bearing 36.

The casing is shown at 3, and has substantially a cylindrical form. Itis provided with a hollow portion 4, serving as a base and fitted with agasoline tank 5.

From the gasoline tank a gasoline pipe 6 leads upwardly to thecarbureter 7. An oil cup is shown at 8, and is employed in connectionwith the lubrication of the apparatus, in the usual or any desiredmanner.

The casing 3 is provided with annular flanges 9, 10, 11, three innumber, integral with it and extending internally. A casing head 12 isprovided with ventilator holes 12, and secured upon the flange 9 bymeans of bolts 14, and another casin head 13 is in like manner securedupon the flange 11 by means of-bolts l5.

The casing is provided with a thickened portion 16 and with an annularflange 17 extending inwardly therefrom. Supported by aid of thisthickened portion 16 and flange 17 are field magnets 18, provided withwindings 19.

A two-cycle engine appears at 20, and is air-cooled as hereinafterdescribed. Theengine is provided with a casting 21, having the form of aspider and serving as the en gine frame. This engine frame carries aframe plate 22, held upon it by bolts 23 and having preferably the formof a casting. The engine frame is secured by bolts 24 directly to theflange 10. It is also secured by bolts 25 directly to a. thickenedportion 26 of the casing. Hence, by withdrawing the bolts 24 and 25, theengine frame and parts carried thereby may as a unit be removed bodilyfrom the casing the cylinder of the engine 20 passing through the gap inthe upper part of theflange 11.

The frame plate 22 is provided with a cylindrical bearing 27. andsupported by this bearing is a shaft section 28, carrying a timer 29 anda governor 30.

The engine frame 21 is provided with-a ball bearing 31, supporting arevoluble shaft 32. The shaft 32 carries a crank disk whereby it isactuated. The crank disk carries a crank'pin 34, and an auxiliary crank35 extends from this crank pin to the shaft section 35, so as to actuatethe latter. The shaft 32 .is provided with a portion 32 of reduceddiameter, and which This portion of the shaft carries a pulley 37 fromwhich power may be transmitted. T he llU shaft also carries an armature38, coaqtirig with the field magnets 1S.' A commutator appears at 39.The field magnets 18, the armature 38 and the commutator 39 togetherconstitute the generator, and this generator may be operated as a motor.

The shaft 32 is provided with a portion 32 of frusto-conical form,andmounted upon this portion is a collar 40, carrying fan blades 41.Carried upon these fan blades is a rim 42. The fan blades and rimtogether constitute both a ventilating fan and a fly wheel. A nut 43holds the collar rigidly in position upon the conical portion of theshaft.

The engine frame is provided with slots 44, 45, 46 through which air maybe forced by action of the ventilating fan blades.

I do not deem it necessary to describe the controller mechanism, thestorage battery, the switches or the electric circuits used with myapparatus, as they are common to many devices of this general character.Broadly speaking, the engine drives the generator, and the generatorcharges a storage battery and under suitable conditions also sup liesall or a portion of the current as us independently of the storagebattery. Then, by the automatic action of the controller mechanism, theengine is stopped and started, the storage battery is rendered active oridle, the generator is operated as a enerator or as a motor, and variousother functions are performed. As

- my invention relates to the mechanism withinthe casing, it has nonebut a remote connection with the various appliances and devices justenumerated. I

The operation of my device is as follows:

The several parts being assembled and arranged as shown and described,and the engine being in action, the generator is driven in the mannerwell understood in this art. Various parts, including the armature andmechanisms immediately adjacent thereto, have an undesirable tendency toI heat up. To counteract this tendency as far as practicable, the fanblades propel the air through the slots 44, 45, 46, and thence upwardlyaround and through the various parts of the engine. The hottest portionof the entire apparatus is the upper portion, of the engine, as it ishere that the explosions take place. The heat thus generated, however,is quickly dissipated by the current of air passing upwardly and out ofthe casing. The heat caused by the explosions can notbe conducteddownwardly to any great extent, owing to the fact that the air currentis flowing upwardly. The air passing out is heated, but is discharged atpractically the same instant that its temperature is raised mostrapidly.

In order to obtain access to the governor 30, the operator removes thebolts 15 and takes oif the casing head 13. This also gives access to thetimer.

The engine shaft 32 and the shaft section 35, and all parts carriedthereby, may as a unit be removed bodily from the casing, along with theengine frame 21 and the frame plate 22. To accomplish this result thepulley 37 is removed and the ball bearing 36 taken apart. The casinghead 13 is removed, and the governor 30 is disconnected from thecarbureter mechanism. Next the bolts 24, 25 are taken out. These thingsdone, the engine frame and parts connected with it are simply moved tothe rightv according to Fig. 1 and thus removed bodily from the casing.For this purpose the armature 38 need not be disconnected from the shaft32. To replace the parts thus removed from the casing, they are put backin the reverse order from that in-which they are removed.

The location of the combined ventilating fan and fly wheel in the middleof the casing is a feature of considerable importance. This revolublemember has considerable speed, and thus located it is well balanced fromevery standpoint. As indicated in Fig. 1, there is approximately as muchmechanism upon one side of it as upon the other, so that such torsionalstrains as may tend to develop in the shaft are about equallydistributed as regards different portions of the shaft, reckoning in thedirection of the length thereof. Moreover, there is about as much weightin one end of the casing as in the other end thereof, so that thevibration due to the running of the engine is reduced to a minimum.

The air circulation is so arranged that the air expelled continuouslyfrom the machine receives the greatest incrementof heat practically atthe instant it leaves the casing, as elsewhere explained. Thecirculation is thorough, and the flow of the circulating air is sodirected as to cool as far as possible all working parts of the engine.The air as it passes around and through the engine, is ever moving fromportions of given temperature to portions of higher temperature. Thepurpose of this arrangement is to counteract the tendency of the air,upon its becoming heated, to impart its heat to objects of lowertemperature, thus heating them.

I do not limit myself to the precise mechanism shown and described, thescope of my invention being commensurate with my claims.

Having thus described my invention,what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Let ters Patent is as follows:

1.In a device of the character described the combination, with a casingand a generator and, an engine located. within said casing, of an engineframe for supporting said ama engine, said engine frame being locatedwithin said casing and detachable relatively thereto in order that saidengine frame and parts carried thereby may be removed. bodily as a unitfrom said casing, and a revoluble shaft extending from the engine tosaid generator for enabling said engine to drive said generator, saidshaft being removable along with said engine frame, and a fly wheelmounted upon said-shaft.

2. In a device of the character described the combination of a casing, agenerator and an engine located within said casing and 1 provided with arevoluble shaft servlng as able relatively to said casing, and togetherwith said revoluble shaft and fly wheel being removable bodily from saidcasing.

- 3. In a device of the character described the combination, with acasing and a generator and an engine located Within said casing in orderto drive said generator, of an engine frame for supporting said engine,said engine frame being located within said casing and detachablyconnected thereto in order that said engine frame and parts carriedthereby may be removable bodilyas a unit from said casing, and arevoluble shaft jour= naled at one of its ends upon said casing andjournaled at a plurality of other points upon said engine frame in orderto facilitate the removal of said shaft along with said engine frame,said shaft serving as the driving shaft of said engine and carrying thearmature of said generator.

WALTER J. BURCHETT.

